A current champion for AEW could not help but admit this week the infamous plastic bag moment from the company’s All Out event went way too far.
This past weekend’s AEW All Out got a lot of attention. But for all the wrong reasons. The promotion is known for delivering a much more violent style of professional wrestling, compared to WWE. However, they took it up a notch at this particular event.
On the card, Kris Statlander did a split on a pile of thumbtacks during her match with Willow Nightengale. Adam Page stuck a syringe through the mouth of opponent Swerve Strickland and then followed it up with a vicious chair shot to the head. However, that may not have been the most offensive moment at the event.
After successfully defending his title against Jack Perry, Bryan Danielson’s Blackpool Combat Club stablemates turned on him. And the most definitive moment of the attack saw former AEW World Champ Jon Moxley put a bag over Danielson’s head. Simulating the deadly suffocation many viewers have seen in movies.
The segment has received a lot of blowback from wrestling fans, veterans of the industry, and even some in the AEW fan base. However, the most notable criticism of the spot came on Thursday from one of the company’s most prominent stars.
Mercedes Mone publicly criticizes infamous plastic bag spot from AEW All Out 2024
“Bryan Danielson’s stuff was tough to watch,” Mercedes Mone revealed in her “Mone Mag” newsletter. “I have mixed emotions. When done right, that kind of stuff can tear a roof off like Bryan’s did. However, I wouldn’t want my brother Joshua to watch stuff like that, or kids, for that matter.
“When I do signings, I greet so many parents and their children. It especially warms my heart to meet families and hear how much their wrestling-viewing experiences and memories mean to them. Then again, there is an audience that loves the extreme, and you want to cater to them, too. When you see your favorite stars going to the extreme, you may want to blame the promotion. Honestly, though, it’s the talent who will usually make the calls in the ring,” she added.
“While I credit talents who go to the extreme in terms of violence inflicted upon themselves for their passion and courage, I also want talent to have longevity and to graduate from this world healthy and able to function. Personally, I’m at a place careerwise where I’d like to avoid extreme matches – unless it’s a true big value add to the company.”
When a top star and champion publicly knocks a moment, it further adds to doubts there is an adult in the room to save the brand’s reputation and AEW talent from themselves.
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